The National Parks

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Worster
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sacred Places ◽  
John Muir ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
Federal Initiatives ◽  
Historical Sites

The national parks of the United States have been one of the country’s most popular federal initiatives, and popular not only within the nation but across the globe. The first park was Yellowstone, established in 1872, and since then almost sixty national parks have been added, along with hundreds of monuments, protected rivers and seashores, and important historical sites as well as natural preserves. In 1916 the parks were put under the National Park Service, which has managed them primarily as scenic treasures for growing numbers of tourists. Ecologically minded scientists, however, have challenged that stewardship and called for restoration of parks to their natural conditions, defined as their ecological integrity before white Europeans intervened. The most influential voice in the history of park philosophy remains John Muir, the California naturalist and Yosemite enthusiast and himself a proto-ecologist, who saw the parks as sacred places for a modern nation, where reverence for nature and respect for science might coexist and where tourists could be educated in environmental values. As other nations have created their own park systems, similar debates have occurred. While parks may seem like a great modern idea, this idea has always been embedded in cultural and social change—and subject to struggles over what that “idea” should be.

From Competition to Cooperation: A History of Canada–US National Park Relations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Young ◽  
Alan MacEachern ◽  
Lary Dilsaver
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Settler Societies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Flow Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

This essay explores the evolving international relationship of the two national park agencies that in 1968 began to offer joint training classes for protected-area managers from around the world. Within the British settler societies that dominated nineteenth century park-making, the United States’ National Park Service (NPS) and Canada’s National Parks Branch were the most closely linked and most frequently cooperative. Contrary to campfire myths and nationalist narratives, however, the relationship was not a one-way flow of information and motivation from the US to Canada. Indeed, the latter boasted a park bureaucracy before the NPS was established. The relationship of the two nations’ park leaders in the half century leading up to 1968 demonstrates the complexity of defining the influences on park management and its diffusion from one country to another.

scholarly journals Contrasting prescription burning and wildfires in California Sierra Nevada national parks and adjacent national forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Jon E. Keeley ◽  
Anne Pfaff ◽  
Anthony C. Caprio
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Forests ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Area Burned ◽  
Natural Fires ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lassen Volcanic National Park

History of prescription burning and wildfires in the three Sierra Nevada National Park Service (NPS) parks and adjacent US Forest Service (USFS) forests is presented. Annual prescription (Rx) burns began in 1968 in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, followed by Yosemite National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park. During the last third of the 20th century, USFS national forests adjacent to these parks did limited Rx burns, accounting for very little area burned. However, in 2004, an aggressive annual burn program was initiated in these national forests and in the last decade, area burned by planned prescription burns, relative to area protected, was approximately comparable between these NPS and USFS lands. In 1968, the NPS prescription burning program was unique because it coupled planned Rx burns with managing many lightning-ignited fires for resource benefit. From 1968 to 2017, these natural fires managed for resource benefit averaged the same total area burned as planned Rx burns in the three national parks; thus, they have had a substantial impact on total area burned by prescription. In contrast, on USFS lands, most lightning-ignited fires have been managed for suppression, but increasing attention is being paid to managing wildfires for resource benefit.

scholarly journals Valuing Our National Parks: An Ecological Economics Perspective

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Paul Sutton ◽  
Sophia Duncan ◽  
Sharolyn Anderson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Real Estate ◽  
Annual Budget ◽  
Park Service

The annual budget for the United States National Park Service was roughly $3 billion in 2016. This is distributed amongst 405 National Parks, 23 national scenic and historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers. Entrance fees and concessions generate millions of dollars in income for the National Park Service; however, this metric fails to account for the total value of the National Parks. In failing to consider the value of the ecosystem services provided by the National Parks, we fail to quantify and appreciate the contributions our parks make to society. This oversight allows us to continue to underfund a valuable part of our natural capital and consequently damage our supporting environment, national heritage, monetary economy, and many of our diverse cultures. We explore a simple benefits transfer valuation of the United States’ national parks using National Land Cover Data from 2011 and ecosystem service values determined by Costanza et al. This produces an estimate suggesting the parks provide $98 billion/year in ecosystem service value. If the natural infrastructure ‘asset’ that is our national park system had a budget comparable to a piece of commercial real estate of this value, the annual budget of the National Park Service would be roughly an order of magnitude larger at something closer to $30 billion rather than $3 billion.

A Life in the Practice of Anthropology: Muriel Crespi and the Development of the Ethnography Program in the National Parks

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Schafft
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Seminal Work ◽  
Park Service

This issue of Practicing Anthropology is devoted to an exposition and discussion of the seminal work of Muriel (Miki) Crespi and its impact on the United States National Park Service (NPS). Changes that Crespi initiated and achieved with the collaboration of colleagues greatly enhanced the commemoration and documentation of the heritage of varied ethnic groups around whose lives and artifacts our national parks have been developed.

Born of fire: In search of volcanoes in U.S. national parks, four striking examples

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Walkup ◽  
Thomas J. Casadevall ◽  
Vincent L. Santucci
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT Geologic features, particularly volcanic features, have been protected by the National Park Service since its inception. Some volcanic areas were nationally protected even before the National Park Service was established. The first national park, Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most widely known geothermal and volcanic areas in the world. It contains the largest volcanic complex in North America and has experienced three eruptions which rate among the largest eruptions known to have occurred on Earth. Half of the twelve areas established as national parks before the 1916 Organic Act which created the National Park Service are centered on volcanic features. The National Park Service now manages lands that contain nearly every conceivable volcanic resource, with at least seventy-six managed lands that contain volcanoes or volcanic rocks. Given that so many lands managed by the National Park Service contain volcanoes and volcanic rocks, we cannot give an overview of the history of each one; rather we highlight four notable examples of parks that were established on account of their volcanic landscapes. These parks all helped to encourage the creation and success of the National Park Service by inspiring the imagination of the public. In addition to preserving and providing access to the nation's volcanic heritage, volcanic national parks are magnificent places to study and understand volcanoes and volcanic landscapes in general. Scientists from around the world study volcanic hazards, volcanic history, and the inner working of the Earth within U.S. national parks. Volcanic landscapes and associated biomes that have been relatively unchanged by human and economic activities provide unique natural laboratories for understanding how volcanoes work, how we might predict eruptions and hazards, and how these volcanoes affect surrounding watersheds, flora, fauna, atmosphere, and populated areas.

Can Bureaucracies Change Policy?

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Lowry
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Limits To Growth ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Town ◽  
The U.S

In the 1990s, policymakers at Yellowstone and Banff National Parks enacted two of the most controversial programs in the history of protected lands. At Yellowstone, the U.S. National Park Service (nps) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws) personnel reintroduced wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem. This program restored a crucial element to the park ecosystem that had been eliminated decades before and not returned since extermination. At Banff, federal authorities imposed strict limits to growth of the town of Banff. This action reversed a policy dating to the park's establishment in the late nineteenth century of allowing and encouraging growth and development of the town within Banff. How did these policy changes occur?

scholarly journals Valuing Our National Parks: An Ecological Economics Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul C. Sutton ◽  
Sophia L. Duncan ◽  
Sharolyn J. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Real Estate ◽  
Annual Budget ◽  
Park Service

The annual budget for the United States National Park Service was roughly three billion dollars in 2016. This is distributed amongst 405 National Parks, 23 national scenic and historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers. Entrance fees and concessions generate millions of dollars in income for the National Park Service; however, this metric fails to account for the total value of the National Parks. In failing to consider the value of the ecosystem services provided by the National Parks we fail to quantify and appreciate the contributions our parks make to society. This oversight allows us to continue to underfund a valuable part of our natural capital and consequently damage our supporting environment, national heritage, monetary economy, and many of our diverse cultures. We explore a simple benefits transfer valuation of the United States national parks using National Land Cover Data from 2011 and ecosystem service values determined by Costanza (et al). This produces an estimate suggesting the parks provide $84 billion / year in ecosystem service value. If the natural infrastructure 'asset' that is our national park system had a budget comparable to a piece of commercial real estate of this value, the annual budget of the National Park Service would be roughly an order of magnitude larger at something closer to $30 billion rather than $3 billion.

Preserving fossils in the national parks: A history

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent L. Santucci
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Historical Aspect ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich

ABSTRACT The fossil record preserved throughout the National Park Service spans more than a billion years and is documented in at least 267 park units. The discovery, collection, study, and resource management of fossils from localities which are currently within parks sometimes predate the establishment of the National Park Service and many of the parks. Public education and interpretation at parks such as Agate Fossil Beds and Tule Springs Fossil Beds national monuments and many other designated areas include information on the rich history of paleontological field work by notable paleontologists undertaken prior to the areas being preserved as national park areas. Another important historical aspect for several dozen parks involves the conservation efforts undertaken by the public and interest groups to preserve and protect these important fossil localities. The evolution of the science and methodologies in paleontology is reflected in the resource management undertaken by the National Park Service and documented in park resource management records and archives, scientific publications, and agency policy. Today the National Park Service celebrates fossils by coordinating the National Fossil Day partnership which helps to promote the scientific and educational value of fossils.

scholarly journals An Indexed and Annotated Bibliography on the Ecology of Grand Teton National Park

1978 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 39-39
Author(s):  
Kent Marshall ◽  
Dennis Knight
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annotated Bibliography ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Information Availability ◽  
Park Service

One of the fundamental purposes of the National Park Service is to preserve and interpret the natural heritage of the United States. Preservation is accomplished through the establishment and proper management of National Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks, while interpretation stems from understanding gained through research. Over the years such a large amount of information relevant to interpretation has accumulated that park managers today are faced with problems of information retrieval as well as information availability. Grand Teton National Park is no exception. With this in mind, and with the financial support of the National Park Service, we have prepared an indexed, annotated bibliography on the ecology of Grand Teton National Park. The final draft of the manuscript is being typed and will be available for use in 1979.

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